The Dragon Arum, Black Calla or Solomon's Lily (1799–1807): Art, History and Details

The Dragon Arum, Black Calla or Solomon's Lily (1799–1807) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Robert John Thornton (British, 1768–1837); William Ward (British, 1776–1826).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

In the 18th century, new engraving and etching techniques offered a variety of tonal effects that enhanced botanical prints. While mezzotint (in which the plate is roughened and then the engraver works from dark to light creating different values) and stipple (dots create values) make it possible to create the rich tonal scale and velvety texture of oil paint, aquatint imitates the delicacy and transparency of watercolor and ink wash.

Object facts

• Title: The Dragon Arum, Black Calla or Solomon's Lily
• Date: 1799–1807
• Creator attribution: Robert John Thornton (British, 1768–1837); William Ward (British, 1776–1826)
• Culture: England, late 18th-early 19th Century
• Type: Print
• Technique: mezzotint
• Collection: PR - Mezzotint
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1939.291

Collection credit

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland, for the Donald Gray Memorial Collection

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.